Silica Court Victory Is Lifesaving for Working People

December 22, 2017

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Decision Upholding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard:

Working people won a huge victory today with the court’s decision fully upholding OSHA’s 2016 final silica standard. This will protect millions of workers from disabling disease and save thousands of lives. The court rejected industries’ arguments and directed the agency to further consider additional union safety recommendations.

The labor movement worked for decades to win these lifesaving measures, and we are proud to see these standards remain the law of the land. I want to thank all of those who contributed to this great victory, including the Obama administration and the career staff at the Department of Labor.

Now we must turn our efforts to making sure this standard is put into full effect, enforced and protected from further attacks so that workers are finally protected from deadly silica dust.

Contact: Carolyn Bobb (202) 637-5018

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